Folding gate



March 18, 1930. L. G. BRADFIELD FOLDING GATE Filed April 25, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 18, 1930. L. ca. BRADFIELD FOLDING GATE 2 Sh'eets-Sheet 2 Filed April 23, @929 .5?! the irregular Patented Mar. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES LOUIS G. BBADFIELD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING GATE Application filed A ril 23,

This invention relates to folding gates, a type of structure employed, for example, at the fronts of fruit and vegetable stands. This type of gate is used where it is necessary to close the front of a building and, at the same time, permit ofventilation through the closure means.

Ordinarily in closures of this type, the panels fold against one another and are shiftably mounted on a track so that, when the closure is folded, the panels obstruct the opening at the extreme ends thereof, and a very important object of this invention is to make provision for swinging the panels to the sides .1 of the opening, for example, along the rear face of the wall in which is the opening that the gate is provided to close. 7

Another object is simplicity and inexpensiveness of construction.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the subjoined detailed description.

The'accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a folding 5 gate constructed in accordance with the provisions of this invention, one section of the gate being shown in closed position and the other with its panels folded together.

' Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional detail on ure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectionaldetail on the line indicated by 3 3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmental view of the construction shown in the upper right hand portion of Figure 1, two difi'erent'positions of the latch being shown in solid and broken lines.

Figure 5 is aplan' view of Figure 4, partly in section, on the line indicated by 55.

Broken lines indicate some of the parts in the positions they occupy when'the pivoted track section is swung into a position at right angles to the plane of the opening.

55 Figure 6 is a fragmental vertical section on the line indicated by 66, Figure 4.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmental view ofthe construction in the lower right hand portion: of Figure 1.

Iiigurev 8 is a plan v1ew,partly in section,

line indicated by 22, Fig- 1929. Serial No. 357,365.

from the line indicated by 88, Figure 7 7 broken. lines indicating some of the parts in the same positions as the same parts are indicated by broken lines in Figure 5..

A. wallis indicated at A and said wall is provided with an opening B which is to be closer? by the invention that will now be'described. I I i Mounted along the upper margin of the opening B and secured to the wall 'Aby .6 brackets 11 is arail comprising a stationary intermediate section 12 and pivotally mounted end sections l3.- The closure meansis formed in sections, two in this instance, and each section comprises a number of hingedly 65 connected panels 14. These panels may be solid but, in this instance, are illustrated con structed of frames 141 and secured thereto wire netting 142. The, hinges 15 connect the panels in pairs and some of the hinges are placed on the front faceofthe panels and others on the rear face so that the panels will fold one against another, in the manner illustrated at the right hand of Figure 1. The hinges 15 are secured to the frames 141.

The outermost panel 14 at each end of the closure is hinged at 16 to a pivoted standard 17, there being a pivot 18 projecting from the upper end of each standard and a pivot 19 projecting from the lower end of each standard.

Alternate panels 14 are shiftablysupport ed on the track by rollers 20, said rollers being arranged in pairs to run on the inwardly turned flanges 21 of the rail. Connecting the 85 rollers of each pair is an axle 22 and'on each axle is a sleeve 23. Projecting downwardly from each sleeve is a hanger 24 and said hangers are connected to the respective panels in such position-as to permit the panels to be in either open or closed position when the rollers 20 are engaged with the rail. The hangers 24 are swiveled at 241 in the frames 141. i

The pivots 18 rotate in bearings 25 secured to the wall A and the pivots 19 project into sockets 26 that are embedded in the floor of the, building provided with the closure." Each of the pivots 19 is providedjwith an antirfriction bearing 27. I

f Alternate panels 14 are'proyided with pins 28'fixed'in the frames '141 and slidablyengaging in a bottomrail, said bottom rail comprisingtwo pairs of hingedly connected sections 29, 30, the sections 30 being secured to the lowerfen ds of the standardsl'? and the sections 29 beingpivoted or hinged; at 3 1- to the section's30, thus enabling theirailsec tions 29 to be raised'into Vertical positions" when thepanels areinztheir folded positions,

as indicated'at theright handof Figurel.

we The pins 28engage in the longitudinal chanj nels 32 in the bottom rails. Thepins 28 are on those, panels that ares'uspended 'fromythe ""15? r a ,Atthehi nged panel jointsthat, when the rollers 20. i

panels are being folded,are thrust awayfrom the topan-d bottom :rails,the frames of alternatepanels are provided at their upper and lower endsv with Vertically shiftable pins 33 which,whenthe panels are in the unfolded j 'ably' helda'gains't folding;

i a 34 secured to the associated frame141' and 7 each of the pins 33 is provided with a shoulpositions, are adapted toengageinfthe ap propriate chan nel 32, ifit be a bottom pin,

or'infthe channel 331 in the-upper rail, if it be t i o that the panels will be releas-,

Each of the pins 33 passes throughabracket der 35 betwee n which'and one. end of the bracket 34 and surrounding the pin is'a coil spring-36 which yieldingly urgesth'epin' 33 3 [toward theiupper or lower rail, as the case ma be, toi'hold'it in either the channeli32 or the channel 331.; The upper and lowerpins "33 are connected in pairs to a release line 37 l which may bea chain or other suitable flexi 'ble member. The release -lines37 pass upn Twardly along the frames 141 and are of suf ficientlength to permit the springs 36 to hold the pins 33"iin'their latching positions. To

release said pins the operator will simply ,grasp the release line at any desired point and pull'thesameaway'from the frame.

When i't is desired to have the panels in their unfolded or closed positions, the rail sections 12, 13 are aligned and it isdesirable to releasably hold them in'such aligned position so asto 'insure against the rollers 20 running-off of the ends of the rail sections 12, 13, andthisisetfected by suitable latches,

details of which are better illustrated, in o F-igures 4 'and -5. 3 Since these latches, are of like construction,,it will be necessary to describe only one of them in detail, as follows 1 thetrack section 12 is providedwith-a laterallyprojectinglug brings 38,- each ofwhich is provided with a slot 39. Releasab-ly engagingn the slots 39 istheinner'endof a pitioted arm'40, the pivot being indicated at '41 and being secured'in the rail section 13.

To the outer end ofthe arm140, which thus constitutes a latch member, ispivoted at 42 an operating member 43 in the form of a rod the slant ,Ebeing so that the endsoi the sec tions. 12 'ifun'ction as stops-for limiting being swunginto which passes throughaguide 44 vsecured to the standard 17. I

Theslots 39' open downwardlythrough the 7' 7 lower edge of the lugs 38 and, accordingly,

the weight of the rod 43,"in this instance, is

lines'in-Figure4, [To unlatch the latchmem ber 40, the operator will lift the rod- 43, thus depressing the inner end or" the latch member, as indicated 'in broken lines in Figure 4,

slots 39. V

f. Preferably,- the joints between the rail r a sections 12, 13 are aslant, like mitre joints,

moVeinent' of' the sections 13 when they are I the. section 12[ The foregoing "will "inake clear'the conposition to them with p I v V a o 70 depended upon for holding thelatch member 4O latching'positiomas indicated in solid gr gthereby moving said inner end out of the struction and operation of the invention and, briefly'statedfthe operationis' as follows to 13 11 the unfolded panelsillustrated on-the ,90 release lines'37 to retract thepinsl33 and-he left of-Figure 1,the operator'will pull on the will then push the innermost panel l4itoward the adj acentside of the opening, thus caus ing the panelsto foldone against another,-the rollers 20ru'nning inthe rail section 12 and tionl3. This places-the panels close to and in parallel-ism with'thea-djacent end wall of 3 'Theoperator next lifts therod 43 so asto the rail section 13*from the rail section 12.

'He then pushes on the folded panels in a di rection to cause them to swing into a position at a right angleto the adjacent fend wall'of, o

theop'ening' or, in other words, to a position parallel to the plane ofsaid opening and parallel to theplane of the inner face of the wall A, asclearly shown in broken lines in Figures and 8 of thedrawingsn retract-the latch member40,thus'torelease 7:1 0 unfold the panels into the esca ee;

tion, in Figure 1, the operator willreverse the above described operations. I T i (It w'illbe notedthatthe rail sections 29,- when in lowered positions, are'adjustably supported jby-gnuts 48which rest on the upper ends of tubular sockets 49 mounted in the -floor. The nuts 48 are'screwed onto studs 50 p which projectdownwardly from the rail sections 29, said studs projecting loosely into the sockets 49 when the rails are lowered. Thus any suitable adjustment of therail sections29" 95 then fro'msaid'rail section into the rail secrelative to the lower edges of the panels may be secured by turning the nuts 48.

At the lower end of those panels 1 1- that are provided with the latch pins 33, are stops in the form of downwardly projecting lugs 51, said lugs projecting below the lower edges of the panels a sufficient distance to engage one side of the rail section 29. The lugs 51 are on that face of the panels that moves inwardly from the rail section 29, assuming that the invention is mounted on the inner face of the wall A, which is the usual position for it, though it is to be understood that it could be mounted, just as readily, on the outer face of said Wall.

It is to be understood that the term gate employed herein defines a door as well as a gate and that the panels need not necessarily be of reticulated or openwork construction.

I claim:

I l. A folding gate comprising a rail of sectional construction, the sections being separate and one of the rail sections being movably mounted, and movably connected panels slidably and pivotally suspended fro-m the rail and foldable alongside of one another.

2. A folding gate comprising arail of sectional construction, the sections being separate and one of said sections being movably mounted, hingedly connected panels, and means slidably and pivotally suspending alternate panels from the rail.

3. A folding gate comprising a rail of sectional construction, the sections being separate and one of said sections being movably mounted, hingedly connected panels,means slidably and pivotally suspending alternate panels from the rail, and a means on each of the other panels to releasably and slidably engage the rail.

4. A folding gate comprising a rail of sectional construction, the sections being separate and one of said sections being pivoted to swing horizontally away from the adjacent i rail section, hingedly connected panels, and

means slidably and pivotally suspending alternate panels from the rail.

5. A folding gate comprising a rail of sectional construction, the sections being sepa rate and one of said sections being movably mounted, hingedly connected panels, means slidably and pivotally suspending alternate panels from the rail, and means to latch the rail sections in alignment.

6. A folding gate comprising a rail of sectional construction, the sections being separate and one of said sections being pivoted to swing horizontally away from the adjacent rail section, hingedly connected panels, means slidably and pivotally suspending alternate panels from the rail, and means to latch the rail sections in alignment. 7

7. A folding gate comprising a top rail of sectional construction, the sections being separate and one of the sections being pivoted means slidablyv and pivotally: suspending ale ternate panelsfromtherail, a s'eotionalibottom rail, one of'thebottomirail sectionsz'piv oted to swing horizontally and; the other 'p-ivoted to the first mentionedrbottom rail; section to swing into nert-ical position, a means on the lower end of each of said intermediate panels slidably engaging in the bottom rail, and means to latch said other bottom rail section to one of the panels.

8. A folding gate comprising a top rail of sectional construction, the sections being separate and one of the sections being pivoted to swing horizontally away from the adjacent rail section, means to latch the rail sections in alignment, hingedly connected panels, means slidably and pivotally suspending alternate panels from the rail, a sectional bottom rail, one of the bottom rail sections pivoted to swing horizontally, the other section of the bottom rail pivoted to the first mentioned bottom rail section to swing into vertical position, a means on the lower end of each of said intermediate panels slidably engaging in the bottom rail, and a means to latch said other bottom rail section to one of the panels.

9. A folding gate comprising a top rail of:

sectional construction, the sections being separate and one of said sections being pivoted to swing horizontally away from the adjacent rail section, hingedly connected panels,

means slidably and pivotally suspending alternate panels from the rail, a sectional bottom rail, one of the bottom rail sections pivoted to swin horizontally, the other bottom rail section eing pivoted to the first mentioned bottom rail section to swing into vertical position, a means on the lower endof each of said alternate panels slidably engaging in the bottom rail, a means on the lower end of each of said other panels releasably engaging in the bottom rail, and a means to latch said other bottom rail section to one of the panels.

10. A folding gate comprising a pivotally mounted standard, hingedly connected panels, one of the panels being hinged to the standard, a rail of sectional construction, the

sections being separate and one of said sections being secured to the standard, and a means slidably and pivotally suspending alternate panels from the rail.

11. A folding gate comprising a pivotally mounted standard, hingedly connected panels, one of the panels being hinged to the standard, a top rail of sectional construction,

the sections being separate and one of said sections being secured to the standard, a means slidably and pivotally suspending alternate panels from the rail, a sectional bottom rail, one of the bottom rail sections being secured to the standard and the other bot-- toin rai l secfibn bing pivoted to the first mentionedbottom rail section toswing into,

7 vertical position, andja means to latch said other'rbottom 'railsection when in vertical v p osition to "one of the vpanels.

i Signed atLosAngeles, Californid, this 12th day'of'Apri1, 1929. 1 V v LOUIS 1G BRADFIELD. v 

